Conway Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Conway, South Carolina, in Horry County — the Horry County seat in the Grand Strand region of coastal South Carolina, a historic river port on the Waccamaw River, the traditional urban center of the Myrtle Beach area — receives its municipal water from Conway Public Works Water, which draws from the Waccamaw River at the Conway water intake or from local reservoir impoundments in the Horry County Coastal Plain. The Waccamaw River is the primary surface water supply for the Conway-Myrtle Beach coastal zone.

The moderately hard 104 mg/L hardness and TDS of 214.5 mg/L reflect the Waccamaw River watershed's South Carolina Coastal Plain geological character. The Waccamaw River originates at Lake Waccamaw (a natural Carolina Bay lake in Brunswick County, NC) and flows southeast through the South Carolina Coastal Plain — underlain by the Cretaceous Peedee Formation (calcareous marine marl), Paleocene Black Mingo Group (calcareous sediment), the Miocene Waccamaw Formation (famous for its rich fossil marine mollusks — a classic Southeast paleontology site), and Pleistocene terrace sands. The Coastal Plain's calcareous shell-marl and marine sediment layers contribute moderate dissolved calcium and bicarbonate to the Waccamaw, producing moderately hard finished water characteristic of the South Carolina Grand Strand supply zone.

At 104 mg/L, Conway's water is moderately hard — scale builds in kettles and appliances over months, dishwashers benefit from rinse aid, and faucet aerators need periodic cleaning. Quarterly descaling is appropriate. The PFAS level of 5.7 ppt warrants a certified drinking water filter — the Waccamaw River watershed's upstream North Carolina sources, the Pee Dee River basin's textile and industrial legacy, Myrtle Beach International Airport and Horry County's coastal development corridor, and the broader South Carolina coastal military-aviation complex contribute to Conway's PFAS readings.